Never Again
by TwistedFics-Snippets
Summary: Wyatt promised his father at a young age that he would always protect his little brother. Today, he failed.


The attack came from nowhere. He was walking home from class, earbuds in his ear and a cheerful tune falling from his lips. Then suddenly, darkness.

When he came to, he found himself held in a cell surrounded by his family. His eyes looked at each other their faces. His mom and aunts were huddled together, his mother whispering something and gesturing aggressively. His uncles were in the corner comforting his cousins, the young girls whimpering and scared. His father was looming over him, a tense smile on his face as helped him sit up. His brows furrowed in thought.

One person was missing.

"Where's Chris?"

Leo's smile fell.

"We don't know." was the answer.

* * *

Wyatt couldn't stop pacing. He knew his brother was taken as well. It was foolish to think otherwise. His whole family was in this cell, there was no way they would forget Chris. He tried to think where Chris would've been.

School?

Work?

Home?

He knew Chris's schedule like the back of his hand. They had to with their lives. It was the whole reason why, against their wants, they chose to live together while they went to college up in Northern California. Like their aunts and mother, they were stronger together and they knew that if they split up, demons would take advantage of it.

His gasp broke the tense silence in the cell. His hands flew to his lower abdomen, his fingers curling around his right side as warmth blossomed outward. He swore he could feel the blood dripping down his skin. Soaking into his clothes. His heartbeat raced as his father raced towards him, worried.

Scared blue-green eyes peered into his own. Soon, the pain was replaced by something that was far worse.

Fear.

His eyes shifted towards the cell door. "Chris."

For the next couple of hours, sharp pain would radiate throughout Wyatt's body. His pacing stopped only to gasp and groan in the corner of the cell as he felt the phantom pain. With every punch and kick, stab and slice, Wyatt felt it as if it was happening to his own body. And as each tendril of pain ebbed away hot anger was left in its wake.

His fingers were white as he curled them over his knees. He wanted to do nothing than blast his way out of this cell and find his brother. No one hurt his brother. No one. Not mortals. And certainly not demons.

He gasped as pain radiated throughout his body. It reverberating throughout his body. Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing and tried not to imagine what they were doing to Chris now. He was so focused that he didn't hear his family's sharp intake of breath.

But he did hear the clanging of the tumblers in the lock.

His eyes flashed up and widened when they saw the limp form between the demons' bodies. "Chris!" he shouted, shooting up to his feet, "What the hell did you do to him!?"

The demon on the right merely grinned. Its green tongue licking over sharp teeth as they dropped their load onto the floor. Without another word, they shut the door and locked it again, their laughter only making Wyatt's anger boil. A soft groan was the only thing stopping him from blowing the cell apart.

He rushed to his brother's side. Gently with his father's aid, he turned his younger brother over. He had to swallow a few times as he took in his brother's bruised and bloodied form. "God, Chris." Wyatt whispered.

He leaned forward until his forehead rested on Chris's chest. A few tears leaked from his eyes as he felt the labored breathing and the still wet blood. Leaning up, he wiped his cheeks and looked at his father with wide eyes. "Why aren't you healing him?" He asked.

"We can't." was Leo's soft whisper.

"What the fuck-" Wyatt shook his head and held out his hands willing the golden glow of healing to come forth. A few tense seconds ticked by before Wyatt cursed loudly, "Why can't we heal?!"

"We can't use any of our powers." his mother said quietly, "It's why we can't get out of here."

"Damn it!" Wyatt slammed his fist onto the dirt floor beneath him, "He's going to fucking die if we can't heal him!"

"We can't lose faith,"

"Faith?" Wyatt laughed mirthlessly, "There's no faith in this, Dad. He's gravely injured. He's barely breathing. Those are facts. And here's another one, he's going to die if we don't get him help."

"...Wy…"

Wyatt's head shot down. "Kit.."

"Told you….num.." Chris's face scrunched up in pain as he took a few gasping breaths, "Stop...calling me...that."

Wyatt chuckled, a few tears slipping from his eyes, "Not going to happen, Kit."

"Stubborn...idiot."

Wyatt sniffled, "You need to stop talking. Rest. We'll get you out of here."

"Shield….around cell...stopping powers." Chris's voice had fallen to a mere whisper, "Crystal...in...hall."

"Shh," Wyatt ran a hand through Chris's hair hoping the familiar sensation would comfort him.

"Hurry….plan on...taking...Pay…"

Wyatt's eyes drifted up to Payton, his thirteen-year-old cousin who was crying into her father's chest. His eyes met Coop's, the man's eyes hardened and he knew that he wouldn't let the demons take his daughter without a fight.

"We'll take care of it, Kit." Wyatt reassured, "Now, I mean it. Hush."

Chris's gasping breaths slowly turned quieter. "I think he passed out again," Wyatt said softly, "I can't sense his presence anymore."

The adults nodded solemnly. They watched as Wyatt leaned down and gently kissed Chris's forehead before standing. "Wyatt, what are you doing?" Piper asked as her eldest son walked towards the cell door.

"Getting us out of here." Wyatt stated before releasing his anger.

No one hurt his little brother.

* * *

This time when he came to, a bed was beneath him and he could feel the dried remains of a cold compress on his forehead. Frowning, he sat up and looked around his bedroom at the manor, confused as to how he got there. Shaking his head, he stood up from his bed and ran a hand through his short blond hair when a realization stopped him in his tracks.

He couldn't feel his brother.

Connected since his birth, Chris and Wyatt were always connected. It was troublesome and a headache; but, it was something they come accustomed to and have come to rely on as a source of comfort. It was also the quickest way for Wyatt to figure out if his baby brother was in trouble.

But when that sensation was gone, it felt as if ice was coursing through his veins. It either meant that Chris was unconscious or dead.

Rushing out of his bedroom, he yelled out his little brother's name. He ran down the stairs only to find his family all in the living room. "Chris? Where-"

"On the couch." Leo answered, "I heal-"

Wyatt didn't bother with listening to the rest of his father's sentence. He knew his father or aunt would heal Chris, it would be ludicrous to think otherwise which only made him question why he couldn't feel his brother. He stopped in the threshold, his eyes locked onto his brother's prone form. Chris was on the couch, his breathing still labored and a sheen of sweat covering his face.

"We don't know what they gave him." Leo explained, "We healed him; but, he didn't wake up."

"Poison?"

"That's what we're assuming but what poison wouldn't be ratified with Healing?"

Wyatt shook his head. There was none that he knew of. Even darklighter poison was fixed with a quick healing. "Book?"

"No answer."

"Magic school."

"Your mom and aunts were about to leave when you came running down the stairs."

"You and the Uncles go too." Wyatt said, "Please. More eyes will help."

Leo nodded and gently squeezed Wyatt's shoulder. "We'll figure this out."

Wyatt licked his lips, "He can't die...He can't."

"He won't, son. I swear."

With one last squeeze, Leo left and Wyatt shakily walked to the couch. He practically collapsed next to his brother, his hand coming up to grasp Chris's. "Kit, you can't die." Wyatt whispered, "You still owe me twenty dollars."

* * *

Hours ticked by and Chris grew worse. Wyatt fear that he would look away and find a corpse on the couch. He passed the time by reminiscing with Chris. Recalling fun moments from their childhood up to the last week when Wyatt nearly set the kitchen on fire by trying to cook dinner when Chris was out late for a study group. "Who would've thought a hamburger patty was so flammable, eh Kit?"

The soft chime of orbs made his look over his shoulders. His mother and father were the first to form. Piper didn't even give him a glance before running off to the kitchen, Phoebe and Paige not far behind.

Wyatt looked at his father, the question in his eyes. Leo gave a tired smile, "We found an antidote."

* * *

Thirty minutes later and Wyatt found himself forcing a thick liquid down his brother's throat. It was another ninety before a groan made Wyatt practically leap from the armchair and return to his spot beside his baby brother. Slowly, exhausted green eyes appeared. "You look like shit."

Wyatt barked out a laugh, "Worrying for you for the past six hours and that's what you greet me with."

"Just speaking the truth," was Chris's breathy answer, "Everyone?"

"They're fine," Wyatt answered, "We got out before they got to Pay or anyone else."

"Good."

"How do you feel?" Leo asked from behind Wyatt.

"Like a bus ran me over."

"Don't worry, the buses got blown up."

Chris chuckled weakly, "Like I would expect anything else from my overprotective older brother."

"Overprotective? With as much trouble as you get into, I have every right to be as protective as I am."

"Lies." Chris whispered, "I'm an...angel."

Wyatt rolled his eyes, "Sure you are." Seeing Chris's fluttering eyelids, Wyatt shook his head, "Sleep, Kit. You've been through hell."

"And yet, I'm better...looking than….you."

"In your dreams," Wyatt's answer was quiet before he took his a shuttering breath.

"Wy?"

Wyatt felt his father's arm come to wrap around his shoulders and he couldn't help but lean into his father's warmth. "I could've lost him today."

"But you didn't."

Wyatt shook his head, "Barely."

"Honey, he's fine, that's all that matters." Piper said, "Demons are vanquished and your brother is fine."

Wyatt nodded, sniffling. He almost failed his family. He didn't say it out loud knowing that his parents would rage for him even thinking that but he knew that was his role. He was the eldest. He was to look out for his younger cousins; but, he knew his parents look at him to protect Chris. He remembered being a toddler, so young and couldn't figure out why his mom's belly was ballooning up. And then one day, her stomach was small again and a loud bundle was in his house. He remembered wanting it gone. Every fiber wanted this screaming thing to just go away. And he remembered trying. Orbing it all over the world in the hopes that it just wouldn't come back.

Chuckling, Wyatt reached out and took Chris's hand into his own. His fingers slid up to Chris's wrist, his body relaxing when he felt the strong heartbeat beneath his appendages.

Then, the connection snapped into place. Suddenly, toddler Wyatt could feel the emotions of this bundle. And that's when everything changed. It was only a few months later that his father took him into his arms and stood with him over the crib. Baby Chris was sleeping peacefully. "That's your little brother, Wyatt," Leo had whispered.

"Tiny." Wyatt had responded with.

"Yeah, he's tiny now but soon he'll be bigger and your best friend."

"No!"

Leo chuckled and poked Wyatt in the stomach, "Yes. You'll just be like your mommy and aunts. Only closer. I can see it now. But, can you promise me one thing?"

Wyatt looked at his father with large blue eyes. Leo smiled and brushed aside his son's curls, "Protect him."

As a toddler, Wyatt had no idea what his father meant; but, as he grew older he quickly realized what it meant.

Bullies. Demons. Expectations. They all battered his younger brother and Wyatt quickly took that simple promise into an identity.

"Protect him." Leo had told him all those years ago.

And he almost failed today.

As Wyatt, twenty years old, looked at his brother's sleeping form he made another promise, this one to himself.

Never again, he vowed, never again.


End file.
